Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $5.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $368.87. 87,898 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 136,858. The company has a market cap of $4.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.71, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $361.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $318.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $228.84 and a twelve month high of $393.93.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 3.03%. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $11.73 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,832 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.7% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $848,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% in the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the automotive retail industry in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company sells new and used cars, light trucks, and vehicle parts, as well as service and insurance contracts; arranges related vehicle financing; and offers automotive maintenance and repair services.